This could just be me, but seriously... I have been working on my synopsis now for months, and it is driving me insane. The problem, really, is that I have no idea how long it should be.
Some websites I have been to say they want it under two pages, which to me, sounds best. I know if I was reading a ton of them a day, I surely would not want to be reading upwards of ten pages. No way... But there are others who want them longer, or don't specify how long they should be.
I have come up with this solution, and please, anyone with input feel free to comment! :-)
The synopsis I plan on sending out mostly is the two pager. This is for the same reason I stated before. It is short, straight forward, and will hopefully give the reader a good idea of the storyline. The longer version I have will be reserved for those who request a longer synopsis. Though it definitely has much more detail than the two page one, it is also over ten pages.
If any of you have experience with the synopsis process, what do you think?
Which came first, the Dream, or the Dreamer?
Showing posts with label agents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agents. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Never Park in a NO PARKING Zone! :-)
This is kind of a funny story I heard this morning. Since it did not happen to me, I will not name names. Thankfully, no one ended up getting in trouble. :-)
So, Joe headed to a government building in the city yesterday to work on some locks for the building. Parking was completely full, and Joe didn't know what to do, so he talked to security of the building. They told him to park out front.
Joe's response was, "But the sign says no parking."
Security guy. "That's okay... You can park there, just not random visitors. It is reserved."
Joe looks curiously at the guard, but needs to get his work done and obliges. After several hours of installing locks, Joe heads back out to his non-marked white van in the no parking zone. As he is walking up to the van, two federal labeled vehicles pull up and rush toward him demanding answers.
Joe stops dead in his tracks and looks to the federal agents for understanding, but they do not tell him anything. Instead, they demand to know why he has parked his white van in the no parking zone.
Poor Joe replies, "the head of security told me too..."
The agents do not believe Joe and press him further. They want to know who he is, what he is doing in the building, and demand answers.
Joe repeats the same thing,"the parking lot was full and the security needed the locks done right away. Call inside, they will tell you."
All this time Joe is assuming that the agents out front, who introduced themselves as federal security, are agents that work in the building. He can't understand why they are making such a big deal about it and why they don't just ask their boss since he was the one who told him to park there. But the agents tick away with more questions instead.
Finally, the agents ask Joe for some ID. To which he hands them his business card, still not realizing just how serious the situation is.
The agents eye one another as if Joe is trying to hide something, and proceed to step forward and demand his driver's license.
At this point, Joe is finally catching on that there is more going on than just some building security and hands over his license. He had just been about to crack a joke when that happened about how he really didn't have manure in the back of his van and he wasn't really going to blow the place up... Thank goodness he didn't tell the joke, because that is EXACTLY what the agents thought he was doing.
The federal agents called in Joe's information and found out that yes, he did work for a construction company, no he had no warrants for his arrest, and he was supposed to be working in the building. Then, and only then, did the agents relax. But they warned him that he was going to get a ticket for parking in front of a government building in a no parking zone.
Joe of course does not want a ticket. He was told to park there and doesn't feel it is fair that he get the ticket and have his insurance raised when security told him to do it. But Joe also realizes now that the federal agents are not working for building security, they are with NATIONAL SECURITY. And poor Joe does not want to cause anymore trouble. He accepts his fate and agrees to the ticket.
The agents then question the building security and find out that they did tell him to park there, not realizing it would be a problem since they needed the locks done asap. Finally, the agents realized Joe was not going to harm anyone and was simply doing his job, so they let him go without a ticket. But Joe leaned a serious lesson, NEVER EVER PARK IN A NO PARKING ZONE IN FRONT OF A GOVERNMENT BUILDING! :-)
So, Joe headed to a government building in the city yesterday to work on some locks for the building. Parking was completely full, and Joe didn't know what to do, so he talked to security of the building. They told him to park out front.
Joe's response was, "But the sign says no parking."
Security guy. "That's okay... You can park there, just not random visitors. It is reserved."
Joe looks curiously at the guard, but needs to get his work done and obliges. After several hours of installing locks, Joe heads back out to his non-marked white van in the no parking zone. As he is walking up to the van, two federal labeled vehicles pull up and rush toward him demanding answers.
Joe stops dead in his tracks and looks to the federal agents for understanding, but they do not tell him anything. Instead, they demand to know why he has parked his white van in the no parking zone.
Poor Joe replies, "the head of security told me too..."
The agents do not believe Joe and press him further. They want to know who he is, what he is doing in the building, and demand answers.
Joe repeats the same thing,"the parking lot was full and the security needed the locks done right away. Call inside, they will tell you."
All this time Joe is assuming that the agents out front, who introduced themselves as federal security, are agents that work in the building. He can't understand why they are making such a big deal about it and why they don't just ask their boss since he was the one who told him to park there. But the agents tick away with more questions instead.
Finally, the agents ask Joe for some ID. To which he hands them his business card, still not realizing just how serious the situation is.
The agents eye one another as if Joe is trying to hide something, and proceed to step forward and demand his driver's license.
At this point, Joe is finally catching on that there is more going on than just some building security and hands over his license. He had just been about to crack a joke when that happened about how he really didn't have manure in the back of his van and he wasn't really going to blow the place up... Thank goodness he didn't tell the joke, because that is EXACTLY what the agents thought he was doing.
The federal agents called in Joe's information and found out that yes, he did work for a construction company, no he had no warrants for his arrest, and he was supposed to be working in the building. Then, and only then, did the agents relax. But they warned him that he was going to get a ticket for parking in front of a government building in a no parking zone.
Joe of course does not want a ticket. He was told to park there and doesn't feel it is fair that he get the ticket and have his insurance raised when security told him to do it. But Joe also realizes now that the federal agents are not working for building security, they are with NATIONAL SECURITY. And poor Joe does not want to cause anymore trouble. He accepts his fate and agrees to the ticket.
The agents then question the building security and find out that they did tell him to park there, not realizing it would be a problem since they needed the locks done asap. Finally, the agents realized Joe was not going to harm anyone and was simply doing his job, so they let him go without a ticket. But Joe leaned a serious lesson, NEVER EVER PARK IN A NO PARKING ZONE IN FRONT OF A GOVERNMENT BUILDING! :-)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Self-Publishing
Lately I have been toying with the idea of self-publishing. I have a family member who is going that route, and now know miss Katie Cord, who is going that route, and I am just unsure of which way to get my work out.
If I self-publish, I can get my novel series out very soon. Waiting to find a publishing house that wants to put my work out could take a lot longer, but has other benefits. So which is best?
Either way, I have learned from an editor at Tor that new authors mostly promote their own work. At least in the beginning. No matter which way I go, I will be promoting my own novel. So does it really matter if I choose to self-publish, or go to a known publishing house?
I am really battling what to do right now. I would love to have the agent/publisher scenario. Not because I need that per say, but because if I go through others than I am adding to the economy by helping to pay their salary. That is something I feel strongly about.
If, however, it will take several years for me to find an agent and for that agent to find a publisher, then maybe that is not the best route...
Seriously all, I need some input! Please. :-)
If I self-publish, I can get my novel series out very soon. Waiting to find a publishing house that wants to put my work out could take a lot longer, but has other benefits. So which is best?
Either way, I have learned from an editor at Tor that new authors mostly promote their own work. At least in the beginning. No matter which way I go, I will be promoting my own novel. So does it really matter if I choose to self-publish, or go to a known publishing house?
I am really battling what to do right now. I would love to have the agent/publisher scenario. Not because I need that per say, but because if I go through others than I am adding to the economy by helping to pay their salary. That is something I feel strongly about.
If, however, it will take several years for me to find an agent and for that agent to find a publisher, then maybe that is not the best route...
Seriously all, I need some input! Please. :-)
Friday, November 4, 2011
My Advice To New Writers...
Since I really didn't know anyone in the industry when I began writing, I pretty much was doing all the typical new writer 'no-no's'. I began my novel with a dream, and though my main character is a prophetic dreamer, to begin the novel that way screams newbie! I also used a reflection to describe an appearance, another newbie mistake... And lets not forget my over 'telling' and under 'showing'.
After meeting with other writers and critiquing each other's work, my writing skills have grown significantly. I am writing like crazy... competing in contests for short stories, I've written most of my second novel in the Ewlishash series, and I also am about 50,000 words into a new series. Going back and looking at the way I first wrote, well... Let's just say the improvement is very noticeable!
For any of you who are new to writing and might want to publish one day, I offer this advice... Join a writing group! Also attend any conventions where you can ask questions to other authors, agents, or publishers. It makes a huge difference. Even if you are just writing for yourself and have no intent to publish, it is still very fun and helpful to get other's feedback.
One thing I kept hearing, and still hear, is concern that someone will give negative feedback. But truly, none of it is negative. Unless you view improving something as bad... Getting critiqued really offers the chance to express yourself more effectively.
So please, to all of you who have expressed concern over the critique process, know that it will only help you improve and everyone, even published authors of many years, get edited... Plus, you get to feel good about all the successful aspects of your novel!
After meeting with other writers and critiquing each other's work, my writing skills have grown significantly. I am writing like crazy... competing in contests for short stories, I've written most of my second novel in the Ewlishash series, and I also am about 50,000 words into a new series. Going back and looking at the way I first wrote, well... Let's just say the improvement is very noticeable!
For any of you who are new to writing and might want to publish one day, I offer this advice... Join a writing group! Also attend any conventions where you can ask questions to other authors, agents, or publishers. It makes a huge difference. Even if you are just writing for yourself and have no intent to publish, it is still very fun and helpful to get other's feedback.
One thing I kept hearing, and still hear, is concern that someone will give negative feedback. But truly, none of it is negative. Unless you view improving something as bad... Getting critiqued really offers the chance to express yourself more effectively.
So please, to all of you who have expressed concern over the critique process, know that it will only help you improve and everyone, even published authors of many years, get edited... Plus, you get to feel good about all the successful aspects of your novel!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Character Books
One thing I absolutely love about writing is that I get to live in the world of all my characters. I have to say, it is better than reading. :-) My only problem is having so many characters I want to put on paper, and so little time for them all! Thus, I started the 'character book.'
This is actually kind of amusing, but I recently read a blog about what editors/publishers would like to see. Funny enough, one thing on the list was that we should have a notebook of characters. What they look like, personality traits, where they work, who they date, live with and where, who they are related to and where they come up in the story. After reading the blog, I reached under my desk and pulled out my character book.
I'm not sure if any of you fellow writers have done this, but it really helps to keep things clear. Especially if I change something, I just put it in the character notebook and then can follow up in the novel. This has really helped me when I did major revisions and changed appearances and relations of some of the characters. I found my mind kept seeing them the way I originally wrote about them, so I pull out the notebook occasionally to remind myself.
Now all I need is more hours in the day... :-) Then I will be able to bring more of these characters into reality. Oh the power of the pen!
This is actually kind of amusing, but I recently read a blog about what editors/publishers would like to see. Funny enough, one thing on the list was that we should have a notebook of characters. What they look like, personality traits, where they work, who they date, live with and where, who they are related to and where they come up in the story. After reading the blog, I reached under my desk and pulled out my character book.
I'm not sure if any of you fellow writers have done this, but it really helps to keep things clear. Especially if I change something, I just put it in the character notebook and then can follow up in the novel. This has really helped me when I did major revisions and changed appearances and relations of some of the characters. I found my mind kept seeing them the way I originally wrote about them, so I pull out the notebook occasionally to remind myself.
Now all I need is more hours in the day... :-) Then I will be able to bring more of these characters into reality. Oh the power of the pen!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Agent Bashing ~ Not OK
For all the agents who get bashed by writers, and all the writers who are guilty of bashing agents, this post is for you... It is truly how I feel.
I tend to surf agent blogs a lot because I get good information from them on what agents are looking for. Most of the agents I follow don't even represent my genre, but that is not the point. They give me insight into the writing world, and ideas on how to reach other audiences. I respect all the information I get, because they 'are' in the know.
This is why I find it so irritating when I hear people bashing agents because they get a rejection letter. Yet some of these same people are sending in queries on genres they should not be. No matter how fabulous the novel is, if an agent only takes romance, and yours is sci fi, most likely you will get a rejection.
In my opinion, it is disrespectful to send a query to an agent that clearly does not have interest in the genre. If I were an agent, that would only show me that you aren't serious about writing, or about me as an agent. It isn't that hard to go to the agent's blog or website and see what they are looking for. Make yourself and your novel fit the agent, not the agent fit your novel. It is hard enough to promote books in this economy, and as writers, we need to be flexible.
Most agents only get paid if they can sell your work. This means that even if an agent reads your manuscript, and absolutely loves it, he or she still has to be able to sell it. If the agent knows there are three other books coming out soon with the same type of story line, chances are, he or she won't be able to find a publisher.
Getting a rejection does not mean your writing sucks, or that the agent is out to get you, but it may mean that it is not be the best time for your manuscript. As a writer, I know how hard it is to play the waiting game, and to have someone not like your style, but we can not blame the agents for that.
There are so many things to consider in a rejection, and we should not be taking anything personally. Honestly, if an agent's opinion is so traumatizing, then being in the public eye may NOT be the best idea. :-) We will always have fans, and critics. Having a bit tougher skin seems like a better solution.
If your query is perfect, and your manuscript unique, there are other reasons as to why you may have received a rejection. For instance...
~ The agent may already be representing a novel in your genre, and yours would conflict with what that agent was trying to promote. I don't know about you, but personally, if I had an agent trying to promote my work, I would NEVER want that person also promoting something that is in competition with mine. What would be the point?
~ The agent may have a full plate, not being able to take anything else on at the moment.
~ Another thing to consider is writing style. An agent and their assistants KNOW what writing styles they like, and each of us have a unique one. I like to write in shorter, easy to read sentences, while my husband writes like Oscar Wilde. This does not mean one of us is better than the other, it only means that an agent who enjoys reading Wilde, would probably not enjoy my style even if both writings are in the same genre. Our queries generally show our style, unless we have it written by someone else (which seems a bit dangerous to me), and agents can tell from our query if we would be a good fit.
Most likely, if we receive a lot of rejections, the agents are not the ones where the blame should be placed. We, as writers, are responsible. Our task is to sell our novel to the agent, therefore it is up to us. So please, can we stop the agent bashing already? It is not professional, and only serves to show those agents that they made the right decision in the rejection.
To sum it up, we should be thanking all the agents and assistants that spend so much of their time weeding through the mess of queries they get every day, and for offering insight into how we can improve. They do not get paid to read queries, or write blogs, or edit our queries for us, yet so many still do this. So, from me, and the many others you have all helped, thank you! :-)
I tend to surf agent blogs a lot because I get good information from them on what agents are looking for. Most of the agents I follow don't even represent my genre, but that is not the point. They give me insight into the writing world, and ideas on how to reach other audiences. I respect all the information I get, because they 'are' in the know.
This is why I find it so irritating when I hear people bashing agents because they get a rejection letter. Yet some of these same people are sending in queries on genres they should not be. No matter how fabulous the novel is, if an agent only takes romance, and yours is sci fi, most likely you will get a rejection.
In my opinion, it is disrespectful to send a query to an agent that clearly does not have interest in the genre. If I were an agent, that would only show me that you aren't serious about writing, or about me as an agent. It isn't that hard to go to the agent's blog or website and see what they are looking for. Make yourself and your novel fit the agent, not the agent fit your novel. It is hard enough to promote books in this economy, and as writers, we need to be flexible.
Most agents only get paid if they can sell your work. This means that even if an agent reads your manuscript, and absolutely loves it, he or she still has to be able to sell it. If the agent knows there are three other books coming out soon with the same type of story line, chances are, he or she won't be able to find a publisher.
Getting a rejection does not mean your writing sucks, or that the agent is out to get you, but it may mean that it is not be the best time for your manuscript. As a writer, I know how hard it is to play the waiting game, and to have someone not like your style, but we can not blame the agents for that.
There are so many things to consider in a rejection, and we should not be taking anything personally. Honestly, if an agent's opinion is so traumatizing, then being in the public eye may NOT be the best idea. :-) We will always have fans, and critics. Having a bit tougher skin seems like a better solution.
If your query is perfect, and your manuscript unique, there are other reasons as to why you may have received a rejection. For instance...
~ The agent may already be representing a novel in your genre, and yours would conflict with what that agent was trying to promote. I don't know about you, but personally, if I had an agent trying to promote my work, I would NEVER want that person also promoting something that is in competition with mine. What would be the point?
~ The agent may have a full plate, not being able to take anything else on at the moment.
~ Another thing to consider is writing style. An agent and their assistants KNOW what writing styles they like, and each of us have a unique one. I like to write in shorter, easy to read sentences, while my husband writes like Oscar Wilde. This does not mean one of us is better than the other, it only means that an agent who enjoys reading Wilde, would probably not enjoy my style even if both writings are in the same genre. Our queries generally show our style, unless we have it written by someone else (which seems a bit dangerous to me), and agents can tell from our query if we would be a good fit.
Most likely, if we receive a lot of rejections, the agents are not the ones where the blame should be placed. We, as writers, are responsible. Our task is to sell our novel to the agent, therefore it is up to us. So please, can we stop the agent bashing already? It is not professional, and only serves to show those agents that they made the right decision in the rejection.
To sum it up, we should be thanking all the agents and assistants that spend so much of their time weeding through the mess of queries they get every day, and for offering insight into how we can improve. They do not get paid to read queries, or write blogs, or edit our queries for us, yet so many still do this. So, from me, and the many others you have all helped, thank you! :-)
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